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Kylian Mbappé watched from the sidelines as France squandered numerous chances in a 0-0 draw against the Netherlands at Euro 2024 on Friday.
The absence of Mbappé, who broke his nose in the victory over Austria last Monday, appeared to blunt the French attack, leading coach Didier Deschamps to recognize a lack of “efficiency” .
“My only regret is that we weren’t efficient enough,” Deschamps said. “We had several good chances but we couldn’t find the net. Without goals we can’t secure victory.”
Mbappé trained with a mask on Thursday, raising hopes of his participation. However, Deschamps opted for caution, not wanting to risk his star player in the second match of the group stage.
“I wasn’t bluffing [in his press conference Thursday about Mbappé’s status]. He is better. Every day that passes is a day gained. If tonight had been a decisive match, I might have thought differently,” Deschamps said.
“But it’s important for me to think about how he feels. He’s had a bad blow and he’s going to have to wear a mask. It may also change his vision, but that’s also the risk he’ll take.
Antoine Griezmann, who wore the captain’s armband in Mbappé’s absence and led an attacking trio alongside Ousmane Dembélé and Marcus Thuram, missed France’s best chances.
“I had a few opportunities that didn’t go the way I wanted,” Griezmann admitted. “Defensively we were good, but the goals just weren’t there. We have to stay calm, the goals will come.”
Aurélien Tchouaméni of Real Madrid stepped in to fill the void left by the absence of Mbappé in the squad. He almost took advantage of the opportunity and almost scored with a well-directed header that went just over the crossbar.
“We stumbled in the final moments, whether on the last pass or on the shot,” admitted Tchouaméni. “We need to improve to win these matches. We created chances, so victory was within our reach. Now we need to focus on rectifying our mistakes. The top priority is qualification and winning the group. “
The draw leaves France and the Netherlands with four points after two matches. Poland’s previous 3-1 defeat to Austria confirms their elimination, regardless of the result of their final group match against France.
Associated Press reporting contributed to this report
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